As we roll out of one of the busiest weeks on campus -- starting with fraternity and sorority rush and capped off by an exciting Homecoming weekend -- the dangerous issue of hazing looms ever larger on Dartmouth's social scene and yet consistently remains an open secret, festering right in front of the College's inattentive eye.
An outsider may scoff at the mention of widespread hazing, but anyone with even a remote connection to the Greek system, athletic teams or dozens of other organizations knows the truth. I do not intend to accuse every fraternity, sorority, sports team and club of the same behavior -- but rather shed some light on a topic that the administration seems to be trying its best to avoid confronting at all.
The school policy and, more importantly, the state laws regarding hazing are clear. Dartmouth classifies any action "created as part of initiation to or continued membership in a student organization" that could produce "mental or physical discomfort, harm, or stress; embarrassment; harassment; or ridicule" as hazing activities. The New Hampshire Criminal Code devotes a section to "Student Hazing" that condemns any person who "participates as an actor" or "has direct knowledge" and "fails to report" it. And keep in mind: "The implied or express consent of any person toward whom an act of hazing is directed" is no defense against hazing.
Dartmouth's official hazing rules cover a broad spectrum of practices, including those within the Greek system. Let's see if any of these examples of inappropriate behavior sound familiar: "consumption of alcohol," "inappropriate scavenger hunts," "wearing of apparel likely to subject the wearer to embarrassment or ridicule," "public stunts and buffoonery" and "degrading and humiliating games and activities." Every student, if they have ever ventured outside of Baker Library, has experienced or witnessed acts that fall into these categories.
Many organizations (including, but not limited to, fraternities) flaunt these rules brazenly, while others are more secretive. Wearing ridiculous clothing, engaging in "buffoonery" and doing various chores has largely become acceptable and expected within the greater community, and it may be more silly than productive to punish these behaviors. But there are other much more serious hazing infractions that occur, most notably against new pledges. While every night on campus has become an excuse for raucous binge drinking, the rush process provides an opportunity for coordinated, forced consumption of extreme amounts of alcohol -- even by Animal House standards. Sure, some people can go through a "dry" pledge term, but the peer pressure and alternative drinks (such as prune juice, non-alcoholic beer and cocktails with unsightly and unknowable ingredients) turn many away from such a "reasonable" option.
Those who argue that the College simply is not aware of such practices are naive at best. Certainly many in the administration, as high up as those on the Board of Trustees, have personal experience in fraternities and sororities either here in Hanover or elsewhere that keep them from claiming any sort of oblivious innocence.
The College may not explicitly condone student hazing, but its lax actions don't exactly stand up to its strict words on the subject. New Hampshire law states that an educational institution is guilty if it "knowingly or negligently fails to take reasonable measures within the scope of its authority to prevent student hazing." Clearly those in the administration cannot police students' every action and questionable decisions, but the College has a responsibility to protect us. "Reasonable measures" include constant monitoring and random checks of fraternities. "Preventing" involves counseling, transparent oversight and public talks about limits of appropriate conduct during rush season. And avoiding "negligence" requires at least some investigation, if not punishment, when multiple pledges get sent to Dick's House on a school night.
Hazing practices may be less extreme and the supervision may have increased over the years, but dangerous behavior still runs unchecked in many corners of campus. Perhaps the College should get off its high horse and start addressing the problems, instead of just trying to cover them up. After all, if the health of students isn't important enough to protect right now, we can always wait for a lawsuit.
